Filing-case.



W. K. HOLMAN.

Patented Jam 17, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY rm: mwms parses co WASHINGTON, n. c

W. K. HOLMAN.

. FILING CASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1909.

982,062, Patented Jan.-17,1911.

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ATTORNEY 'YIIIIIIIA VIII/I nu: ucmus PETERS co, Mnsuuvcrmv, n. c

air srarns i WILLIAM K. HOLMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO WILLIAM H. ISBISTER, WILLIAM K. I-IOLMAN, AND LENA G. HOLMAN, EXECUTRIX OE WIL- LIAM A. I-IOLMAN, DECEASED, TRADING AS A. J. HOLMAN & COMPANY, A COPART- NERSI-IIP, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FILING-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 1'7, 1911.

Application filed May 6, 1909. Serial No. 494,336.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM K. HOLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filing-Gases, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of filing cases commonly constructed as a pasteboard box, with a closing lid at one end, adapted to contain index sheets or papers, and of which a series is placed within a suitable cabinet.

My invented improvement in this class of filing cases has for its object to provide therefor an automatically closing lid, adapted to be held closed when placed in the c0ntaining cabinet, and of such character that when the filing case is partly withdrawn from the cabinet compartment the lid will swing open, so as to avoid the necessity for a complete withdrawal of the filing case from the cabinet to get at the contents of the former; while other and incidental objects are the provision of means to effect such partial withdrawal and the provision of means to operatively but not fixedly hold the index sheets in the filing case.

To these ends my invention consists of the novel filing case, and also of the combination thereof with a suitable containing cabinet, as hereinafter described, the characteristic novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is an elevation, in perspective, showing the exterior of the filing case, and showing, in dotted lines, the relative position of each member of the hinged closing lid. Fig. 2 is a like view, with the hinged lid members in open position, and showing the index cards and their retaining means, within the filing case. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the front portion, detached, of a partitioned containing cabinet for the filing cases, showing the latter in three different positions relatively to the cabinet; first, closed and pushed back between the partition walls of the cabinet; then partly pulled out and the lid members opened, and finally the same showing the filing case pulled out sufliciently to fully open and throw back its two lid members. Fig. 4 is a front View of the same parts, in like positions; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line ab of Fig. 3.

Referring now to said drawings, the body of the filing case, usually made of stiff pasteboard, is a narrow rectangular box-like structure, comprising a pair of opposite parallel walls 1, 1, connected at the rear end and at top and bottom by narrow walls 2, 3 and 4, leaving an open front, indicated at 5; the general contour of the filing case being plainly apparent from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings; and, so far as stated, it is of usual form and character.

Means to close the open front, constitutes the first novel feature of my improvement; and said means, constituting together a hinged closing lid, consists of two members 6 and 7, composed, respectively, of a pair of upright walls 6, 6 and 7, '7 connected to form a right angle and having square basal and top pieces 6* and 7 and these two members of the closing lid are similar in construction, but slightly different in length and differently mounted relatively to the side walls of the filing case, as indicated in Fig. 2; that is to say, the member 6 is hinged by its forward edge to one of the side walls 1 of the casing, and member 7 by its rearward edge to the other side wall 1 of the casing. Hence member 6 (which is the shorter in length) will, when swung around on its hinge 8, permit the other member 7 to be swung, in like manner, on its hinge 9, its top and bottom pieces 7 passing over the top and bottom pieces 6 of the member 6, as shown in Fig. 1, the dotted lines therein indicating the position of said members relatively to each other, in closed position, and relatively to the side walls 1, 1, of the filing case, from which it will be seen that, in such position, the side wall 6 of member 6 and side wall '7 of member 7, will aline respectively with the side walls 1, 1 of the body of the filing case.

The body of the filing case is adapted to contain a series of index cards, indicated at 11, between which one or more papers orseries of indicating numbers, as usual, shown as 1 to 15 in Fig. 2, with a corresponding series of numerals on one inside wall of the member 6 of the closing lid, with space to write or print the subject after the numeral, if desired. As these index cards are to be detachably held within the case, their bottom edge is notched to fit over a projecting piece 13 on the basal wall of the case.

These filing cases are movably supported as usual in a filing cabinet the forward portion of which, broken away from the rear, is shown in plan and front elevation respectively in Figs. 3 and 4t, and which consists essentially of a box-like structure with an open front and composed of top and bottom walls 16, 16 and side walls 1%, lt, with interior partition walls indicated at 15 between which the filing cases are supported in the cabinet by their basal wall or edge 3.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and at, the filing cases are shown in the cabinet, and between the partition walls thereof, in the four different positions they will occupy in use, namely: at the extreme left of the said figures the filing case is closed and pushed back until it is wholly between a pair of partition walls 15 in the cabinet and its closing doors heldelosed thereby. In the next position it is shown pulled out until its closing doors are wholly beyond the said partition walls and unrestrained thereby. In the next position its closing doors are shown swung open and the front edge of the index cards exposed to view. In the last position, shown at'the extreme right of said figures, the index cards, lifted from the restraining'stop 18, are shown pulled forward; the'latter position not being used except when it is desired to change or otherwise manipulate the index cards.

To facilitate the pulling forward of the filing cases from locked position between the partition walls of the cabinet, and incidentally as a lock generally, the case is supplied with a pair of straps 10, 10 which may be fastened together by a spring button 10 as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:.

It is obvious that my filing case is well adapted not only for the usual purpose of indexing and filing away letters and papers, but particularly for containing the. diskshaped records of talking machines, such records, supported edgewise between the index cards, are restrained by the stop device 18 from rolling out of the filing case, and their subjects may be conveniently written on the duplicate index in the inner wall of the closing door member 6; and moreover for such purpose or for the usual purpose of filing papers and letters, the novel character of the closing doors of my filing case has decided advantages, namely: it dispenses with the necessity for wholly withdrawing the case from the cabinet to open it; and its team doors, unrestrained by the partition walls, when the case is partly drawn out, swing open as shown in Fig. 3, and when pushed back are held in overlapping and locked position by such partition walls of the holding cabinet.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A filing case comprising in combination with a box-like structure of narrow width and relatively greater depth, consisting of top, bottom and side walls whose front edges are in the same vertical plane, of a closing door therefor composed of two members of slightly varying size, each consisting of a pair of walls connected at a right angle to each other, with top and bottom rectangular ends, one of said door members being hinged by its rearward edge to one side wall of the box and the other of said door members being hinged by its forward edge to the other side wall of the box, whereby they are adapted to be swung into overlapping coincidenee to close the end of the box.

2. A filing case comprising a box-like structure of the character recited, and a closing door therefor composed of two members of slightly different size hinged respectively to opposite side walls of the box, each of said members consisting of a pair of upright sides united at their edges to form a rectangular body in cross section, and with top and bottom squared ends, each of said members being hinged by one of itsuprightsides to a side wall of the box in such man ner as to swing into relatively overlapping coincidence and in alinement with the body walls of the box.

3. A filing case comprising in combination with a box-like structure of the character recited, of a duplex closing door therefor composed of two members hinged respectively to the side walls of the box, in manner to be swung into overlapping coincidence, said box having a projecting lug on the interior of its basal wall adapted to form a restraining stop for card indexes and the like placed on edge within the box.

4c. A filing case comprising a box-like structure of the character recited, a closing door therefor composed of two members each having two sides united at a right angle to each other, said members being hinged to the box in such manner as to be brought into overlapping coincidence into alinement with the side walls of the box when swung on their hinges into closed position, in combination with a cabinet having a series of vertically-disposed partitions operating, when said casing is placed therein, to hold said hinged door of the filing case in locked position.

5. A filing case comprising a box-like structure of the character recited, in combination with a containing cabinet having partition walls between which said filing case is adapted to be removably supported on its basal edge, said filing case having a projecting stop on its basal wall and a pair of hinged doors hinged respectively to opposite side walls of the casing in such manner as to close automatically into overlapping coincidence, and in alinement with said side walls of the casing, when fully inserted between the partition walls of the cabinet, and to fully open, on a partial withdrawal of the casing, from between said partition walls.

6. A filing case comprising in combination with a box-like structure of the character recited, a duplex closing door therefor composed of two members hinged respectively to the side walls of the box, in manner to be swung into overlapping coincidence, said box having a projecting lug on the interior of its basal wall adapted to form a restraining stop for card indexes and the like placed on edge within the box, and a series of index cards recessed on their under edge and adapted thereby to detachably register with said projecting lug.

7. A filing case comprising a box-like structure of the character recited, a duplex closing door therefor composed of two members of slightly different size, each consisting of two side walls united at a right angle, with top and bottom squared ends, said members being hinged to the side walls of the box in such manner as to swing into overlapping coincidence; a series of index cards or the like within the box, and a series of numbers corresponding thereto marked on the inner face of one of said door members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afiixed my signature this fourth day of May A. D. 1909.

WILLIAM K. HOLMAN.

Vitnesses:

WM. H. ISBISTER, WILLIAM T. WHEELER. 

